Where Do Cardinals Go From Here?

Things were bad for the Cards before the bye, following close losses against the Redskins, Seahawks, and Giants. They followed those up with a blowout loss to the hapless Vikings. Sunday, they lost to the Steelers, dropping their fifth straight game.

To make matters worse, running back Beanie Wells, who has been having a breakout season sprained his knee and is expected to miss at least one game. Losing Wells leaves undersized LaRod Stephens-Howling and Chester Taylor, who has run the ball nine times for 20 yards as a Cardinal.

So what now for Arizona?

There is still a massive portion of the season to be played, 10 games to be exact, but the Cardinals are a sinking ship. Quarterback Kevin Kolb has looked lost in the offense and has been unable to find Larry Fitzgerald and his two tight ends the way he was in the preseason and early season games.

If the Cards’ pass game is to be resuscitated, Kolb will have to improve his touchdown to interception ratio, which is now 1:1. Kolb has thrown for seven picks and seven scores this season.

The running game, apart from Wells has only compiled 165 yards and just one score. Now that Wells is gone, the balance and pressure of the offense has shifted completely on the shoulders of the passing game, which has not wowed, producing a good not great 241 yards per game.

The worst part of the season for the Cardinals has been the play of the defense. Arizona is currently ranked 26th in the league giving up a frightful 388.3 yards per game. The defense needs a rapid improvement if the Cardinals have any hope of rebounding in the division.

Through seven weeks, the Cardinals are surprisingly just one game out of second place, a testament to the lack of strength in the NFC West. The 49ers are a surprise at 5-1, but the way they have come together, it will be a tough mountain to climb for the Cardinals.